Incredible Drawings of Disney Characters

Jirka Vaatainen recreated Disney's classic characters into these beautiful drawings. Vaatainen is incredibly talented! 

Anna and Elsa from Frozen look like real people in these drawings... 

Here are a few of his creations:

Please check out his website for more: http://cargocollective.com/jirka/REAL-LIFE-DISNEY-GIRLS

March Madness for... Disney?

For The Win released a Disney Movie Bracket! Here are my picks

Princess Region:

Little Mermaid

Frozen

Cinderella 

Mulan

Pixar Region:

Incredibles

Up

Ratatouille

Finding Nemo

Classics Region:

Bambi

Peter Pan

101 Dalmatians

Pinocchio

Modern Classics Region:

Lion King

Hercules

Pooh

Aladdin

Final Four:
1. Mulan
2. Up
3. Peter Pan
4. Lion King

Championship:
1. Mulan
2. Up

WINNER:
UP!!!!

Disney Home Decor!

Found a list of the cutest Disney decorations thanks to Buzzfeed!

No lie. I read this in Mushu's voice.

This is such an adorable pillow with a cute message

Wouldn't it be great to eat Mickey for breakfast??

Just look at this beautiful staircase! Seriously in love with the quotes and the fonts.

I would want it to be like this...

But let's be real, it's going to be more like this

Reading Response to "Fat and the Land: Size Stereotyping in Pixar's Up"

The title of Kate Flynn's article intrigued me and I was looking forward to reading about how Up portrays size stereotypes. She starts with an analysis of Carl's size and how his behavior is associated with his bodily weight. I thought her point that shape is the essence of a character's personality and traits was valid. Ellie's long, narrow body indicates that she is active and dynamic. In contrast, Carl's round physical shape is representative of his clumsy movements. Flynn further expands on this point by pointing out that Russell is "ill suited to the outdoors because of his size." Thus, the characterization in American cinemas corresponds to the size stereotypes.

However, Flynn loses the audience by introducing irrelevant points and making bold, but ridiculous statements. A prime example of a "wtf" moment was when she stated "the lines of the waterfall are suggestive of female genitalia, consistent with the idea that the land is a woman to be tamed" while discussing the significance of land in Pixar's Up. To be honest, I have no idea what prompted this comparison of female genitalia to the waterfall... Flynn does not elaborate nor explain further and merely leaves the reader in a what-did-I-just-read state of confusion.

Another preposterous claim Flynn makes is the following statement:
"When Russell feeds Kevin luxury foods, Pixar invites us to conflate several stereotypical assumptions: fat people eat too many unhealthy foods; feeding is nurturing, and nurturing is inappropriate for boys; fat makes gender ambiguous."
How exactly does being fat relate to gender ambiguity and why is nurturing inappropriate for boys? Again, Flynn puts forth an absurd argument and fails to provide any explanation for the reader.

While the start of her piece felt promising, Flynn gradually began to lose ethos and by the end of the article, I was uncertain what her original thesis was. But to be fair, it was an entertaining read due to just the sheer absurdity of some of her claims.

Up

I remember back when Pixar’s Up was first released - everyone was talking about how great of a movie it was. My mom and my younger sister went to watch it and of course, they came back from the movies raving about how it was the best animation movie they'd seen. 

I surprisingly knew very little about the storyline. Of course I knew about the iconic house with thousands of balloons coming out of its roof, the grumpy looking grandpa, and the cute Asian American kid. This was my first time watching Up and I had high hopes. Well, it did not disappoint because from the get-go, Up had me hooked.

I fell in love with how Carl and Ellie fell in love. Watching them grow from adventurous kids to adults that From The silent montage of Carl and Ellie’s relationship did not even last 10 minutes, yet it put me through an emotional roller coaster of happiness, sorrow, and even managed to get me teary-eyed. From the moment they first meet to her death, Carl and Ellie’s love story is realistic and touching, something that I’ve found most Disney princess films lacking. This 5 minute scene manages to do a better job than most of the Hollywood romantic movies out there. In fact, this snippet alone probably deserves an Oscar.

One aspect of the film that I was impressed with was the complex character development. The metamorphosis of Carl was one of the outstanding aspects of Up. I could see how Ellie’s death affected him and it was heartwarming to see him slowly open up to Russell and Kevin, eventually risking his own life to save others. I was able to connect with Carl and understand that he's misunderstood and that he's not just a cantankerous old man. I witnessed him suffer a great loss and I felt like I was embarking on his journey to healing.

On the surface, Up appears to be a fun adventure tale about two unlikely heroes, but upon reflection it is a very touching and intimate story. It is a rare kind of movie that speaks to all audiences - young, and old. I'm definitely adding Up to my list of favorite movies :)

The "Best Uncle of the Year" Award goes to...

Aren't these two adorable?

Jesse Nagy is an actor (IMDb-ed him and he's going to be starring in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will be released in 2016) and he went to see Cinderella with his Neice, Izzy, earlier this week. Now, this wasn't your average trip to the movies... because they were both dressed up as princesses!

According to ABC News, Izzy was embarrassed to leave the house wearing her princess costume as part of the princess day that Nagy and she were having. So to give the 4-year-old courage, the uncle decided to also dress up. Um, where do I find someone like Jesse Nagy??

Here's a direct quote from him: "If it's going to make her happy, I'll do it, I don't care."
~~ SWOON ~~

Disney logo through the years

I normally do not post videos, but I stumbled upon a YouTube clip of the Walt Disney picture's intros. Personally, I think it's pretty cool how these films had its own custom intro with a different Disney logo every time. But clearly someone had a lot of free time on their hands...

Enjoy :)

Periodic Table of Disney

The real Periodic Table of Elements you learn in chemistry class is boring. So why not learn elements through this awesome Periodic Table of Disney? The symbols are the same as the real deal, but the names have been Disney-fied.

You're welcome, chem majors ;)

Disney Store at Times Square

Over spring break, I stayed with a friend in New York! Of course, I had to visit Times Square and act touristy. While I was walking, I saw a HUGE Disney sign and - I should've guessed - there was a Disney store. It boasts the widest selection of Disney merchandise.

Here's a picture of the Disney store at Times Square I took:

There was an advertisement for the upcoming Disney movie, Cinderella, on the billboard screen right above the store. I think this is a great promotional technique!


Also,  I made it onto the Times Square billboard screen! #imfamous

Frozen Sequel... Melted?

Buzzfeed released an article with 27 possible titles for Disney's Frozen sequel and it does not disappoint!

Some of my favorites are:

I tried to come up with one of my own... "Frozen 2: Girl Worth Melting For"

Lol I think I've written too many essays on Mulan in this class. 

Anyway, check out the article for more hilarious titles.

Beauty and the Beast Casting (UPDATES!!)

GET EXCITED, EVERYBODY!! Guess who's been casted to play Mrs. Potts??!!?!?!
EMMA THOMPSON! I honestly think she is one of the greatest actresses. I loved her in Nanny McPhee and she's perfect for this role! Obviously, a lot of CG work has to be done to make her look like a tea pot el-oh-el

Belle's father, Maurice, will be played by Kevin Kline. I thought his face looked familiar and I did a google/IMDB search and found out he was Dreyfus in The Pink Panther!

Hopefully this movie won't be a flop with big names in Hollywood. Remember the movie Valentine's Day - the one with the all-star ensemble cast? Yeah, it was a terrible movie. I saw that Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Taylor Swift, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, etc. were all starring in it so I thought it was going to be great. Nope. Not at all. 

Please please please don't let Beauty and the Beast turn out to be the next Valentine's Day!!

The true power of Disney

I just read a New York Times article about parents who connected to their autistic child, Owen through Disney's films. As Owen repeatedly watched Disney movies over and over again, he helped build it into a language and a tool kit by collecting sounds and speech from them. Through observing the exaggerated expressions on characters' faces, he was able to "learn" the language and pick up visual cues as to what the words meant.

Owen is now 20 and has created a Disney Club, of which he is the president. He started this group after arriving in college and the club has helped him make friends as well as develop independence. This article has made me think about how universal Disney is, from acting as a source of entertainment or a form of language. And possibly through different disciplines and interests, we can find ways to connect with children who are autistic.

Read the full article here (it's lengthy, but worth the time!): http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/magazine/reaching-my-autistic-son-through-disney.html?_r=0

Beauty and the Beast (casting)

After seeing the cast for Beauty and the Beast, I have high hopes and expectations about this film.

I think Emma Watson is THE PERFECT Belle. She is beautiful, classy, and intelligent #womancrusheveryday

Dan Stevens will be playing the role of the beast (fun fact: he's also British, like Emma Watson).

It has just been revealed that Luke Evans (I remember him from The Hobbit) is going to play Gaston!

So so so soooooo excited for this movie to be produced. I know Disney won't let me down :)

Reading Response to Gael Sweeney's "Timon and Pumbaa's Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma"

When I made my way past the introductory paragraphs and finally got to the thesis of the essay, I almost laughed out loud. Sweeney argues that Timon and Pumbaa are "obviously a same-sex couple" (131). Apparently two best male friends who live together and take in an orphaned child are homosexuals...

I was honestly quite enraged at the sweeping generalizations and stereotypes Sweeney put forth as evidence to support her claim. She contends that Timon and Pumbaa are shunned from society because of their sexual orientation and their alternative lifestyle is a way for Disney to subtly depict gay-identified characters because the family-friendly Disney image will not allow it to openly portray homosexuality. Sweeney's far-fetched claim is offensive because it assumes that anyone who is not accepted in society is automatically gay.

Furthermore, she attributes Timon and Pumbaa's cross-dressing as substantial evidence that they are homosexuals. While dressing in drag may be an indicator of sexual preference, in this case it was to create a diversion and lure the hyenas away. In Mulan, a similar tactic was used where the male warriors disguised themselves as females in order to distract the men. One instance of cross-dressing is not sufficient evidence to prove that Timon and Pumbaa are homosexual characters.

Overall, I was disappointed by Gael Sweeney's piece because I felt that she used impertinent events in the film as evidence to assert her point. I was not once convinced by her arguments and this piece was my least favorite to read thus far.

If one had to put a price on Disney...

This weekend was the 'Story of Disneyland' auction at Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks. Approximately 1,000 pieces of Disney-related memorabilia were sold, totaling $1.7million overall.
Here are some of the items that were auctioned off:

This is an original figure from the 1967 Pirates of the Caribbean ride was sold for $129,000.

Shelby Pickett, a 23-year old, bought the 1955 opening-day guidebook signed by Walt Disney himself for a very affordable price of $13,275. What a bargain, Shelby!

The extremely practical 1970 audio animatronic tiki bird from the Enchanted Tiki Room was auctioned off for $154,000.

Timon and Pumbaa predict the future??

If you're a human being on this planet with access to the internet or the TV, you'd have seen this dress all over social media and the news (yes, it made the news on television).

There is heated debate about whether the dress is black&blue or white&gold. For me, I first saw the dress as white and gold but the day after it turned blue and black!!

Anyway, turns out Timon and Pumbaa predicted this phenomenon would happen... and were already debating it in the movie.

The Lion King

The Lion King is one of my favorite Disney movies! The character complexity and development in this film is a stark contrast to the bland storyline and characters in previous works by Disney. The Lion King actually touches on a plethora of topics such as life, death, family, power, identity, acceptance of the past, balance of nature... the list could go on. The animation is brilliant and beautifully done. The scenery of the savanna is incredible... and the music omg. "The Circle of Life" got me movin' with the beat and "Can you feel the love tonight" got me feeling like this:

Also when Mufasa died, it almost made me cry. I would never have thought that an animated movie could get me so emotionally involved with the characters, but somehow I found myself empathizing with Simba and harboring great hatred for Scar. I wanted to give Simba a hug and caress/pet him when he ran away feeling guilty and thinking he murdered his own father. One of the most amazing moments in the film was when Simba decided to return. It really highlighted the bravery and the strong sense responsibility Simba possesses. 

Watching this classic movie years later helped me notice things that I had overlooked before. The ending of the movie made me realize that while Hakuna Matata is a great motto, there are times when you will have worries and instead of running away from them, you need to face your problems, fears, and mistakes. Although this is an animation with animals as the main characters, the plot can be easily translated over to our own lives, which makes The Lion King unforgettable and relatable. 

FUN FACT: The movie was originally going to be called King of the Jungle, until the filmmakers realized that lions live on the savanna, not in the jungle... LOL

Response to Mean Ladies: Transgendered Ladies in Disney Films

Amanda Putnam's essay was well-written, forceful, and convincing. While reading her piece, I was constantly surprised by each example she gave to support her argument regarding the transgendered villains in Disney films. Her leading paragraph about heterosexual norms in Disney movies established her ethos and credibility.

Reflecting upon the Disney films I have viewed, I have realized that Putnam has a solid and substantial argument with examples of various characters to support her claim. Ariel, Pocahontas, Jasmine, and other leading female characters/princesses all have beautiful figures and soft facial features with long hair to accentuate their feminine appeal. Meanwhile, the villains do not possess these conventionally effeminate features, whether it be their bodies, faces, or voices.

An example Putnam provides in her essay is Ursula, who acts as a stark contrast to Ariel. Ursula's hefty body is not at all like Ariel's slim figure and her facial features are the opposite of delicate and feminine. I truly believe that without the red lipstick, Ursula's face would be ambiguous in terms of gender (not taking into account her body, just focusing on her face). While Ariel has a light, sing-song voice, Ursula's is deeper and less womanly. Moreover, Putnam cites a great example in Cinderella. The stepsisters are "flat-chested, appearing, in fact, square-bodied, with no difference in width between their chest and their waist" (152). Since an hourglass figure is the traditional body shape of beauty and associated with sex appeal, the two stepsisters are less feminine than Cinderella. 

However, there are some aspects of Putnam's piece that I disagree with. I am skeptical that depicting villains as transgendered people is influencing its viewers to think "it's okay to treat people who are different from the heterosexual norm as dangerous or disgusting" (159). I think this is a far-fetched claim because although it is true that I never found the villains to be attractive, I would not necessarily characterize all of them as "masculine". Nor have I found the villains to be deviating from the heterosexual norms and thus "disgusting". For example, Cruella de Vil is slim with wide hips (hourglass shape) and she does not appear masculine. Rather, she is just unappealing to look at due to her highly arched brows and wide cheekbones, which are not necessarily "masculine" features.

However, despite a few exaggerated claims, Putnam's article was one of my favorites to read.